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Asked recently by ESPN’s Ian O’Connor if, after claiming his fifth Super Bowl title this past season, Brady has taken that title from his idol growing up in the Bay Area, Joe Montana, the 39-year-old humbly said no.

“I don’t agree with that and I’ll tell you why. I know myself as a player. I’m really a product of what I’ve been around, who I was coached by, what I played against, in the era I played in.

“I really believe if a lot of people were in my shoes they could accomplish the same kinds of things.”

In the interview, Brady never actually disclosed who he thinks is the NFL’s GOAT, though he did mention a couple of options beyond Montana: Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Peyton Manning, Dwight Freeney, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Darrelle Revis, Deion Sanders and the Miami Dolphins’ soon-to-be Hall of Famer Jason Taylor.

The mention of the Fins great — not to mention the other defensive superstars — makes sense. Brady never lined up directly against Montana, Brown or Manning.

Jason Taylor on the other hand …

“The games against Jason are some of my most — well, maybe least — memorable,” Brady said in February when Taylor’s election to Canton was announced. “He is one of the greatest opponents I’ve ever faced, having had the ‘pleasure’ of looking across the line and seeing him on the opposite side of the ball, not once, but twice each season for a decade. While I entered the league with a healthy respect for Jason and the incredibly talented Miami defense he led, my admiration for him as a player and a person only continued to grow with each play; each game; each season.

“Coach Belichick and the rest of our staff have a reputation of game planning against a team’s strengths,” Brady continued. “Perhaps one of the biggest compliments I can pay to Jason is the amount of hours we spent watching film of him over the years and going over what we needed to do to neutralize him. I can’t say we ever came up with a great answer.”

He’s right. Seventh all-time in the NFL with 139.5, Taylor took Brady down 11.5 times over the years, second most of any defensive player. (Who’s No. 1? You’ll never guess.)

“He and I had a great friendship throughout our playing days,” Taylor said of Brady. “Obviously, we played against each other a ton. I probably played 25 or 26 games against Tommy … maybe more, I don’t even know the number of games. We’ve always had this healthy rivalry between the two of us. We would go at it, compete hard and we were great friends off the field.”